Communication

          Communication has been a main issue that we have discussed in class the past few weeks. Technology in the classroom as a whole is there for the main reason of getting learning materials to stick with students. It is simply another way of getting students engaged, working, and learning with what they are learning about. Technology should be consistently contributing to communication and never taking away from it. Unfortunately, in many current classrooms, technology does in fact take away from the learning experience.
           Texting for example, is a huge issue in many classrooms that takes away from the communication between teacher and student and the student's ability to learn. As a teacher, my goal would be to turn the students view of texting around and find a way to use it efficiently in the classroom. One way of this would be to have groups form for a game dealing with questions and let one student from each group text answers to me as the group comes up with them. This would turn texting from a bad thing in the classroom into something that promotes communication and helps everyone stay engaged and learning.
          Without finding ways to make technology promote communication instead of shutting it down, technology is useless in the classroom. As teachers, we must use technology, and use it properly, so that the students are constantly in communication with each other and us in order for them to learn the best they can.

Utilizing (not resisting) technology in the Classroom :) By: Jannessa Hilliard

Entry written by: Topic:

           This class has really opened up a world of possibilities for me when it comes to technology in the classroom.  Before now  I probably would have considered myself "old school", not jumping at the oppurtunity to embrace and master technology.  However, what I know now is that technology is a great and amazing asset to us as educators.  We have truly unlimited oppurtunities to enhance our learning and open our student's eyes to the world.  We need to embrace our ability to use technology to enhance and deepen the learning in our classes, not to take place of or make learning easier.  Technology is our friend in the classroom especially when we are preparing to teach such a technologically savvy generation. 
          Here are some really fun examples of ways to enhance learning using technology.   For example, when learning about the planets and everything around them you can let your students explore on Google Earth (http://www.google.com/earth/explore/products/).  Google Earth can be used for other units too such as oceans, mountains, finding locations, ect...  Another example would be using the tool ToonDoo (http://www.toondoo.com/) for an English class at any age.  ToonDoo allows students to create books or cartoons and present them to the class.  Having students create an online book instead of traditionally writing one would be inspiring for students.  A third example would be Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/).  Khan Academy provides online videos and tutorials for virtually any subject.  This way if a student is behind or struggling to understand a subject, we can refer him to Khan Academy. Student's are able to watch videos from anywhere and can seek help when trying to complete assignments on their own. 
        This is just three examples; imagine what it would like in your own classroom if you used one webtool a week.  Learning how to use webtools and internet resources is not difficult and look at the benefits and oppurtunities it provides.  Learning in this class about different tools and websites out there really opened my eyes to all the different ways I could use technology in the classroom.  Our future students are growing up on technology and we must incorporate it into our classes if we want to keep up with and engage such "techy" kids. 

Blog #2

      This class has really helped me to learn all the different ways in which technology can be used in a positive way in education. I think that being a student in the transitional period between completely print and completely digital can be a positive and a negative thing. Obviously at my age I would have more technological experience than someone older than me, like my mom, but I also am so stuck in the way that I remember being taught that it is sometimes hard to imagine how to break free from doing things in that way. Just from being introduced to certain tools and ideas presented in class and through our online sessions I believe there are several ways that I can improvise my thinking and use technology more in order to become a better and evolving teacher.

      In my last blog post, I talked about how the line between what we should keep traditional in classrooms and what should be changed confused me. Now that I have been able to look at more of the chapter and been introduced to new ideas and uses for technology and I have realized that it is about integrating these things into the classroom. The handwriting skills that we will need to teach will still be relevant, but typing and using the same grammar, punctuation, and capitalization skills in both will be important. It isn't about converting from one thing to another, but bringing the two together to find the happy medium. It is kind of scary to think that this is just the beginning and there will continue to be changes in the future, but that is what also makes education kind of fun. It will never be the same, and there will always be new challenges. 

      Just from my own understanding of technology and its uses, I have already started to develop ideas in which I could use tools in my classroom. Since I am getting a special education K-12 degree and an elementary education degree, I am unsure of what material I will be teaching and to what age and ability groups. I think the organizational tools will really help me as an educator, and the idea of a class website is a great way to keep parents involved. These are just two ideas I have already been brainstorming about but the ideas are endless when it comes to using new tools daily. Even the possibility of homework being online excites me in knowing we can still have a community feel at home for every student. I can't wait to see what is next in technology and use what we have learned to create more educational technology in my classrooms to come. 

Social Websites in Class

Entry written by: Seth Taylor  Topic: Social Websites in Class

Social websites have dominated our culture in every way. They have kept friends in touch and have helped countries during times of crisis. Social websites have many advantages to them. However, social websites, such as twitter, Facebook, etc., should be kept outside of the classroom. Students are used to using these sites for the original purpose of their creation: socially. They aren’t looking for ways that they can improve their knowledge on these sites; they are looking at their best friend’s post.

Social websites shouldn’t be used for that reason. Students will have a hard time differentiating between academic and the social side of the sites. This should be an after class type of site. In the classroom, they will not focus on the task that is given to them. They don’t usually focus all of their attention on a task to start out with. How much harder will it be to get them to focus if they are trying to multitask by going on Facebook and twitter? Sure, for some classes, this might work. However, the vast majority of classes would find this more of a hindrance than a blessing.

Social websites is a luxury that students will abuse. They will use it for social means rather than academic means when given the opportunity. Their work will have half the amount of focus that it usually has. Social websites are social; they are far from being academic. School is for academic, not the social. The social can happen after hours. If the social side of these sites were removed, then they would be appropriate for a classroom setting. However, they are not, and they need to stay out of school. 

Using Texting as a Tool

Entry written by: Julia Coad Topic: Texting for classroom use

I was really intrigued by the topic of texting for classroom use when we discussed it online a couple weeks ago. I think that because of how our own teachers treated texting in class, immediately we think of it as a negative thing. We say, "Well my teachers never let me text in class, so there's no way that I'll let my own students text!" However, education is constantly reforming and molding with our society. Thus, I truly believe that things are changing in such a way that texting could really be used as a tool to assist in furthering our students' education. We just need to eliminate our initial negative perspective.

Outside of the classroom, texting can be used to communicate quick and efficiently with students. Where e-mails do not always reach the younger generations, texts are becoming one of the only ways we can effectively communicate with them. It's true that there is the issue of whether or not all the students have a cell phone, but that is becoming less of a factor. Obviously, texting could not be incorporated in this way until the later grades (high school). As texting is becoming more prominent in our society, education is certainly adapting to it.

One may also think that safety is an issue, because cell phones and texting are tools that are more personal and teachers could be surpassing their boundaries. However, I agree with Professor Kipp. It can't be an issue if teachers use one account (like Google) to specifically communicate with only their students. As teachers we separate our personal lives with our working environment and students. If used in this way, texting students is no less safe than e-mailing students.

Honestly, my argument is more for using cell phones and texting as a tool outside of the classroom. I think that texting in class could risk pushing more boundaries. I think its uses are also far more limited in the classroom for now, but teachers are really getting creative with it. For example, the website polleverywhere.com is a fun and helpful site to use in the classroom. It really helps give teachers quick feedback from all the students without having to spend a lot of time discussing or collecting data. This site can also be utilized as a quick check for students' learning.

 Education Technology
       Within the classroom it is often a struggle to keep the students interested in what is being taught as well as getting them involved. Smart boards are being used in order to get the students to come up and learn instead of just watching the teacher lecture. Also their are many tools and learning games that get the whole class involved and learning. Another example is a way for the students to complete projects through online communication and file sharing. Projects allow for students to all work together and get a hands on experience from learning. The technology part that comes in is they do not have to be physically together in order to complete thee assignments. This is how technology allows for the students to be more involved in the class and have fun as well.
       Technology has increased the functionality by leaps and bounds in the classroom. It has done this by giving teachers many different tools in which to learn various teaching methods that they would not have had an opportunity to learn without it. Also technology has provided many organization improvements which is limiting the use of paper that's needed as a teacher because they could just file it online. This includes Google reader which allows the teacher to add it to a favorites page and even share wit with their faculty and staff.     
       Before taking this class I was not aware on how much technology could actually improve the conditions of the classroom. Technology not only increases the functionality of the classroom but allows for the students to have more fun in their learning instead  of the traditional way of learning. This way was just paper, pencil, books, and lectures. This still has a vital part in teaching but can be altered in many different ways. This class also taught me many different ways to enhance how I gather my information as well as giving thoughts and ideas to other teachers.

Technology for Professional Development

Entry written by: Brianna Hayne

Topic: Technology for Professional Development

Learning to use technology for professional development is something that is very important for a teacher. We learn how to use technology to benefit ourselves as teachers. Through technology we can collaborate with other teachers and learn from others who are incorporating technology in their classrooms. In class, we used different methods to collaborate and learn from other teachers.

            One tool that can be used is Google Reader. This tool allows a user to search for different blogs and websites. This tool is useful because it allows a user to search a broad range of topics and find sources that they otherwise would not have found.

            Twitter is another tool that can be used. Twitter is a very popular social networking site that allows people to share their thoughts and ideas with each other. This tool can be interesting to see how people’s views vary about education. Another tool that can be used for collaboration between teachers is “Diigo”. This is a website bookmarking tool. This site allows a user to follow other users, search for useful websites, save those websites, and share them.

            All of these tools are very useful for collaboration between teachers and other professionals. Out of these three tools, the one that I found the most useful was “Diigo”. I enjoyed using this tool the most because it had multiple uses; bookmarking websites and collaboration between users. Becoming familiar with tools like these can help us prepare to be better teachers so that we can teach our future students to the best of our ability. 

All in One Place

Within this class, I have quickly realized that there are an almost infinite amount of online tools that could be used in the classroom. With all the options that this possesses, one could hardly characterize this as a bad thing. However, I worry sometimes about the problem of "too much." With every new tool, every student must develop a new identity and password as well as find out how they may use this tool. Students are tech-savvy-- typically-- and often do not need much time to figure these out. But why cause more complications? Though it is a simple, Google proves to be one of the best tools for educators.

Though it does not have many of the additives of other sites, it is incredibly accessible. Most students will already have a username for Google. With cloud technology, students' work can easily be shared among the students or with the teacher. Even in the case of small groups, students may easily share and work on one project.

Wikis, blogs, documents, drawings, etc are all available with Google Docs. As well, reader and other organization tools exist. Though the different components may not all exist on one page, its accessibility and options makes it the best options for teachers that will use technology for a wide variety of uses within the classroom.

Entry written by:Marissa Muska

Google Docs

Entry written by: Shellby Jones  Topic: Google Docs
I never realized how much Google has to offer. There are so many tools that bring together all aspects of the internet into one organized location. I have always wondered what the little orange box in the corner meant when I went onto a website and I cannot believe how much it does. Google has truly revolutionized the internet and the speed of information. There are so many ways the Google docs can be used in the classroom. In terms of the teacher, it is a place with fresh ideas from teachers all over the world. The days of having to come up with activities on your own are gone and teachers are more than willing to help each other. Students can use the drawing tool or the application itself to create and store projects. Google is a place where documents can be saved and remain there until the user deletes them. There are always technical issues, but this concept could help eliminate some of the issues with losing documents and computer malfunctions. Overall, Google puts everything in one place for easy access from any computer.

Another tool I really liked was Dipity.com. The concept of having student create a timeline in which the teacher can read everything is a great concept. There are so many times that students turn in projects and they are illegible and so unorganized that the teacher does not know where to start. This website can be used for any projects in any subjects. Social studies, science, geography, language, etc. Students can create a timeline of presidents, the history of a state or nation, or tell their personal story through a creative timeline. Teachers can also use this website for classroom projects that incorporate all students. For example, reading contests, or a 'getting to know your classmates' projects. The bottom line is that the internet is creating new and more efficient ways for creating projects and getting tasks done. Both students and teachers can benefit from the advances o technology.

Blog #2

In class we have been researching different tools to use in the classroom. Though these tools are very beneficial to use, I still don't see how this will work in the elementary classroom without the teacher doing most of the work. Learning is both the child's, parent's, and the teacher's responsibility at this time in their educational career, and though the internet is a vast reseource for education, this requires more monitoring.

I see many of the tools being used in a secondary education class, and just having little exposure in the upper elementary classes. There are plenty of assignments that can be created using all different types of programs, but I feel like with lower elementary grade levels that the most useful is smartboards and wikis. Almost everything requires an email address, which requires that parents create one for the students since there are age restrictions. This is a problem because not everyone has a computer, though many have access. Another problem is if parents aren't actively involved in the child's education. Students already lie about their age to create social networking accounts, so it would be like encouraging that for those who have parents that won't let their children go onto certain sites on the internet.

There are rules in the school that students are not to use technological devices in the classroom. Those items are usually taken away in the elementary level if they are found, so some of the tools that can be accessed on the phone would not be ideal unless the schools change their policy on technology. If a teacher should decide to use technology in the classroom, like a cell phone, I think that parents should be informed. This would require that more records be kept with the communication between teachers and students. I think that should the school policies change, then the tools can be more beneficial, but until then, students will only have some exposure in the elementary levels.

Blog #2

Last week in class we researched a couple different technological tools in class.  The one that took me most by surprise was Twitter.  I say this because I never really thought of using Twitter in the classroom as a way of communicating with students, but then again I have never really thought about using any or most of these technological tools in a classroom before taking this class.
This tool could also be a way to communicate with students outside of the classroom like if they had questions about an assignment or if you needed to post an assignment through twitter.  It could also be used to follow other teachers, education tweeters, government tweeters, or a multitude of other people that have to do with education to gain ideas for the classroom or to keep up with bills and laws that are being passed that will effect you in the everyday classroom.
The cons for using a social media device like Twitter far outweigh the pros in my opinion.  The major setback would be that students can frame a teachers or accuse a teacher of communicating in a way that could get a teacher fired.  Tweets are public but you can also send private messages on Twitter.  Any kind of social media including Facebook are very dangerous tools for teachers to use just because of the fact that teachers can be accused of communicating with a student in an inappropriate way.  Another major setback would be that some students might not have smart phones where they can just pull up Twitter whenever they want.  Some students also might not even have internet at their homes, or even a computer or laptop to be able to access Twitter to keep up with assignments or to ask questions outside of the classroom.

Blog #1

This class has opened up several ideas that I have never thought of to use in the classroom.  Most of the technological websites that we have had to use I have never heard of and did not really understand what they do or how to use them.  I think this class has been a great learning experience for how to expand the student's minds and how they think along with making them more tech savvy.
I think it is very important for students to learn things apart from just the traditional way of teaching through lecture.  I believe that this teaching through technology is so important because most jobs that our students are going to have, have not even been created yet.  This also means that most of their jobs will have to do with technology that has not even been created yet.  Even though that kind of technology has not even been created yet, we still need to familiarize these students with the technology that we have today and that will help prepare them for the future.
There are always going to be obstacles that prevent technology from being used in classrooms.  Some teachers are just too "old" school to allow it, some technology does not have all of the kinks and wrinkles worked out yet making it difficult for students to use, some students may not be able to afford these different technological tools but regardless technology should be implemented to an extent.  I think many of the "old" school ways of teaching are spot on and need not be cast out of the classrooms, but I also believe that there is a time and a place where technology should be used and these more traditional teachers need to start on that immediately.

Using Phones/Texting in Class

Entry written by: Emily K. Lauder  Topic: Texting and Cell Phone use in Classrooms 

              Let’s face it. Everyone texts. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, or businessman, you can most likely be found with cell phone in hand.  Because of this new epidemic, why not incorporate the fact that students are very tech savvy? 
             When we allow students in the classroom to interact in different ways and ways that they are comfortable with, we can enhance their learning and help them stay engaged and on topic. In doing research on this topic, I came across a vast majority of educators who were either intrigued by the idea, implementing the idea, or shunning the idea all together. One teacher, in her argument against using technology in her class room said, " One of the biggest concerns is student misuse.This includes student unwillingness to stay on task (game playing for instance) to on-line bullying.  Personally, I have been very willing to give it a try but I must admit I have had my struggles. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to introduce mobile technology that would increase student engagement?" Another educator that was for the implementation of mobile technology stated,  "Mobile technology is the wave of the future. Leveraging its use has many benefits from engaging student learning to maximizing technological resources.  In fact, when you really think about it, mobile technology is rapidly becoming a big part of our society.  As a result, it is my feeling that everyone affiliated with our education system really should consider incorporating mobile technology into their teaching practices."
               Sure, there are downfalls to having texting in class. When you allow students to use their phones there will always be the times when they don’t listen and end up going on facebook and getting off task. When this happens, you need to have a discipline/rule in tact so that they know the consequences of their actions. When students know that they have boundaries, there will be some that push it, but mostly, the students will obey them and be interested in being able to use their cell phones in class. Personally, I am 100% for the use of phones and texting in class. 

These quotes were taken from Classroom 2.0 Ning, which is a social network for teachers interested in using web 2.0 tools for teaching

Google Reader

Google Reader
This semester has been a very eye opening experience. To be quite honest I really did not know that much about education technology and I really did not care to. But after going through this semester I have found that there is a lot of technology that can be useful in the classroom and that teachers should use more technology. I have found many tools that can be used in a classroom and be used for us teachers. But I have found one that I did not even know about before and I know that I will continue to use it when I start teaching.
The tool that was the most interesting to me was Google Reader. As a future Special Ed teacher I did not find many tools that I could actually use with my Special needs students just because the way that I will be teaching them is so much different than teaching regular Ed students. But Google Reader could help me tremendously as a Special Ed teacher. As I am finding out, teaching Special needs students can be very challenging and as a teacher, you need some special tricks that you can use because every kid is different and not everything you try will work. And nothing is worse than not knowing how to teach a student. With Google Reader you can search for blogs, articles and websites (ones that actually are credible) and you can save them to your own list. And through these blogs, websites, and articles one could find some tips and tricks from other Special Ed teachers that are out there. You can also follow specific authors and people that you like and can keep following them for as long as you want. This can be very useful for teachers in general, but this can and would be very helpful for any students going into Special Ed.
I am truly grateful that I found this tool because as everyone knows that I am going into Special Ed. And I really do not know a lot of tricks that I can use in teaching Special Needs kids. I probably would have just looked tricks up on the internet and who knows what kinds of things I would have found. But with Google Reader I can actually look through what I found and even research the author to make sure that what I found is a credible source. Throughout this semester I did find some interesting tools that I might use when I start teaching, but Google Reader was the one that I found to be the most helpful for going into Special Education.

Blog #2 Education Technology in the Classroom

The integration of technology in the classroom has grown so much over the past decade that classrooms can’t afford not to have technology for the fear of every child being left behind. Technology is becoming commonplace in schools, and more importantly, it is taking over elementary schools. Elementary schools have adopted the idea of technology in the classroom and has run with it, having the young students create projects on it using different applications on the computer, completing electronic quizzes, and creating an electronic mail address so the teacher can electronically mail them to either explain what will be taught throughout the week or to remind the children to tell their parents about any kind of events coming up. There are multiple tools that a teacher can use to instruct their classroom on any and every subject, and they are easily accessible to anyone and everyone.

Using YouTube as an educational tool can be helpful for students who favor learning from a fun and educational video. YouTube provides a lot of educational videos on every subject that caters to the child's needs of being entertained while being taught a valuable learning lesson. It's interesting to see a simple website such as YouTube can provide key educational videos to help a teacher get their point across. Another tool that is underrated, but has been heavily used and been relied upon is the Electronic Mail (E-Mail). No teacher is perfect, so whenever they forget to say an upcoming event or a test that is coming up, the teacher simply E-Mail's the student or the students parent warning them of such events that are coming up. E-Mail is extremely important in the classroom, and is a very important tool in the classroom.

An educational tool that I have seen being used in the classroom is Google Earth. The teacher can take advantage of this tool and look up famous geographical areas such as: The Statue of Liberty, the Egyptian and Mayan Pyramids, and the areas where Lewis and Clark explored. I have seen Google Earth being used in a few of the classrooms where I observed, and the students seem to love it. Google Earth allows history come to life! Assigning a history project can involve using tools such as Google Earth and PowerPoint where students will have to use both to locate the area on the subject that they have been assigned and having to use PowerPoint to create a presentation. The opportunities are endless. Social networking has the ability to become a useful tool in the classroom. Facebook can be used to set up events going on in the classroom and at the school, and to help remind parents and students of any field trips, volunteering events, or even tests that may be coming up. Twitter can essentially do the same thing, and more. Twitter has the ability to look up different subjects by simply looking up a subject on the search bar, and many results will show up. Whether they are academic "tweets" or tweets from average people passionate about the subject, Twitter can be a great educational tool to research more thoroughly on a given subject.

There are so many different tools that I didn’t mention that can help aid teachers and students alike. There is essentially an endless supply of educational tools that can help teachers give unique lesson plans, and students to adequate research for a given project. These educational tools are a great help, and classrooms should take advantage of all of the tools that have been created to help the classroom as a whole.

Beneficial Tools Discovered

As we near the end of the semester, it is only natural to begin reflecting on the classes we have all taken. For this class, I often find myself thinking about all the tools we've been exposed to and how we can use them in our future classrooms. I must admit, I didn't know what to expect at first with this class, but I have found there to be some useful tools that I would like to use in my classroom. Perhaps not all of my students will use all these tools, but they would be very beneficial for me to use!

Some tools I have found to be quite useful are ones such as Evernote, Google Reader, and. Goodreads.com. Evernote is great for capturing those allusive lesson ideas that if you don't write down quickly you forget. It's also great for taking notes on students that needed (or need) extra help. You can also write down what was covered in each class period. I know this would be huge in an English class when some classes get ahead of others, have interesting ideas in a class discussion, or come up with completely different questions than other classes. Google Reader is another great resource. Google Reader will allow me to know what books are interesting for young adult readers, examples of writing for young writers, tips to help young writers, quotes, etc. There is an endless amount of resources through Google Reader, which is awesome! Goodreads.com is another one of my absolute favorite sites. Through this website, I could create a strong reading community with my students. Students could see what they're peers are reading and it would help engage those that do not like to read. 

These are of course all secondary ideas. So, what about the primary grades? I found a lot of the tools too advanced for younger primary grades. I think if anything, Web 2.0 tools used with primary grades would have to be very basic and they would most likely have to work together to use a tool. This may not be a bad thing, but it also may not be very time efficient. 

What are some tools you came across that you found could be useful? What tools could you use with primary grades?

Entry written by: Bradley K. Topic: Today's World is changing with Technology, so do we (as future teachers) keep up with it?

Everywhere one goes today one can notice some sort of technology in some sense. For example, look at the work force and one notices computers or some other sort of technological tool is making people becoming unemployed. The following concept I mentioned is called, technological unemployment and within this concept there are positive and negative aspects. The positive aspects are if a company installs a technology assembly line their product with be made more efficient and quicker, but does oneself really want technology to over one’s job? Furthermore, the negative aspects of a company installing the technology are the cost and budget cuts the company has to make in order to keep the company running, so people continue to purchase their product. In general, the same fixation is occurring in today’s classrooms because teachers are essentially replacing themselves or the school district with technology. What does that mean? Well, one should think back to when they were in elementary school and think about how ones teacher has taught them. Technology was not very fundamental back then because teachers taught students to learn, not students teaching teachers by incorporating technology. Nevertheless, by partaking in my Education Technology class I have acquired a lot technology tools like: Wiki’s, Blogs, Social Networks, and individual tools to add excitement to a presentation; however, I do not think about incorporating most of these technology tools in my classroom, but one tool. The one tool I would incorporate in my classroom would be the Wiki.

When one wants to research a topic one reverts to the Internet and use the most popular search engine, Google. While searching a particular topic the first link that appears in Wikipedia and one usually clicks on the link because it provides the answer efficiently and quickly; however, most people would not trust Wikipedia because it is not reliable information because the information is constantly changing. Furthermore, Wikipedia is provided the technology tool Wiki Spaces, so one can acquire the knowledge one is searching for. On the other hand, as a future teacher I could see myself incorporating a Wiki as a teacher website for my parents because I do not believe primary education students should be consumed by technology. By having a Wiki I can upload different subjects areas like: Meet your teacher (personal biography), incorporate a classroom calendar, upload homework, weekly newsletters, permission slips for field trips, and etc.  In particular, I believe having a Wiki page designed for my classroom would be resourceful and very useful. A couple of examples come to mind on how I can use a Wiki: if one of my students is not plan on being absent on a give week day the parent(s) can go on the Wiki can download the homework; within that if my student(s) do not understand what is expected on the homework by providing a brief explanation; lastly, keeping myself and parent(s) organized and informed on what is happening in my classroom.  Even though this tool seems great for me and make use of it, I want to know one’s opinion on technology replacing or overtaking teachers.

On the whole, I have talked about how technology is everywhere and replacing or overtaking employers, and relating it to today’s classrooms with teachers. Conversely, I also spoke about Wiki Spaces, a technological tool, and how I can make use of it in my classroom with examples of how I can use it. Furthermore, I want to ask one question: Does one as future teachers believe technology is changing today’s world and should we keep up with it?

Google Reader

Entry written by: Rachel F.    Topic: Google Reader

I enjoyed learning about Google Reader at our last class discussion. I hadn't known about it until class, and will probably use it for a long time. This tool is unique and useful. It saves a lot of time searching the internet for information and going to all different sources. With Google Reader, you can have all the information you need whenever you need it without having to explore many different websites and blogs. And, I really like that it lets you know when their is new information on the sites you have saved. So cool!

This tool is not only beneficial for anyone, but specifically for teachers. They can have sites for their specific subjects saved on it so they can know of any advancements in their field, sites filled with ideas and lesson plans so they can try new things in their classroom, and many other things. The uses for the teacher with Google Reader are many and fairly obvious. But what about the students?

One way this tool can be used by students is to collect data for a research project. For example, if the class is doing a project on reptiles, they can use Google Reader to find different blogs and websites about their reptile and follow it for several days to get all the information they need for their project. For an English class (my expertise :), the teacher can have the student pick a book and compile as much information they can about it and the author to share with the class. These are just a few ideas, I'm sure there are more. Can you think of any?

Professional Development: Which Way Would You Choose?

Entry written by: Cary S. Topic: Professional Development and Educational Technology

Education is focused on learning, growth, and development. One must remember that this focus is not just associated with student development; it also includes teacher development. As teachers, it is important to learn and grow right along with students. Many schools require that teachers take steps to develop professionally. Professional development is usually approached in an often frustrating manner. Days are set aside for teachers to go to meetings and listen to lectures on teaching. These meetings occur in classroom environments and tend to take up a lot of time. After working many hours to meet all the demands that teaching encompasses (lessons, testing, report-cards, grading), how many teachers really want to spend a day sitting in a classroom being talked at? Technology offers a wonderful new avenue for professional development. Through the use of Web 2.0 tools, teachers can gain insight in a more efficient manner that will help them develop into better professionals.

Many technological tools can provide valuable information to teachers. Blogs and Google Reader offer information for teachers that can be conveniently accessed at any time and from anywhere. Blogs are a great tool that teachers can use to see what other teachers are doing and to share insight with other teachers. Goggle Reader is a wonderful tool that can be used to organize blogs. Teachers can learn so much from others and can grow through acting in response to what others are teaching. Through using these tools, that are accessible from the comfort of home, teachers can continually be updated with new ideas that can be implemented into classrooms to strength teacher and student learning.

I was given the opportunity to explore educational blogs organized in Google Reader. I gained so many great ideas. I saw information concerning lesson plans, technological integration, classroom management approaches, and new research. From little things like using a staple remover in removing knots from shoelaces to big things like lesson plans that connect books to content standards, information in blogs can assist teachers. I can picture myself using a visually enhanced step-by-step lesson plan presented by another teacher in my Kindergarten classroom someday. I saw how Deborah J. Stewart presented a cool Earth Day science lesson for preschoolers and kindergarteners in the blog Teach Preschool. The plan includes collecting items from nature and observing them pressed between plexiglass. This observation is to be done in correlation to reading the book In My World, by Lois Ehlert. I can use this great lesson in the future to strengthen my teaching ability and my students' learning. This is just one example of how a blog can present me with lesson ideas from other teachers that can help further the learning in my classroom.

If teachers can develop into better teachers when they take valuable educational information presented in blogs to heart, then it can be said that blogs are a great way to foster professional development. If I had to choose my favorite professional development approach, I would choose the option of exploring blogs on my own time to gain new insight rather than spending all day in a meeting listening to a speaker. Using technological tools to gain information for teaching is more efficient, more flexible, more visual, and more fun as compared to older methods of professional development. I can see so many benefits in using blogs to direct professional development. The question for you my reader is... Which way would you choose to approach professional development as a teacher?



Stewart, Deborah J. (11 April 2012). "Looking At Our World Through a Window Book." Teach Preschool. http://www.teachpreschool.org/

What to remember

Entry written by: Matthew McLean

 Topic: What do remember....

So the semester is almost over, and we have truly been bombarded with a lot of information. The internet, and the technology that rides along with it, has a lot of things to teach us. Will we remember all of it? Definitely not. Can we retain some of it? Absolutely.

With all the information, websites and tools, how do we remember them all. What the tool does, how and when to use it? One thing I am doing is making a page to record all these sites and tools. From "google earth" to "scrible" to wikis, we have been converted to think technology. Its in our blood, but how do we keep track on the over 200 applications?

The answer, is "Evernote." With this application you can tag websites that you think you will use as a teacher. But it goes one step past just simply having another website to remember. After tagging these wesbites, you can explain them, their significance and when or how to use them in the future. All 200 plus applications can be accessed on one page! Awesome.

Come 4 years from now, you may not remember what you have added to this "Evernote." No worries my friend, there is a simple search option where you can finger through (digitally) all your notes and find what you are looking for.

I would encourage everyone from this class to do so, for its a one stop website for tracking and adding information that you think would be useful in the future.

Technology as a collaboration tool (post #2)

Entry written by: Topic:

Technology as a collaboration tool

Collaboration is the act of working together and when you start bouncing ideas off another person the ideas expand into new concepts. One of the greatest things about the newest technology is that many of the tools are designed to allow you to collaborate with others. Tools such as Google docs allow you to “share” your project with whomever you want. That person  can then goes into the document and edit or add to it. We, as future teachers, should be enthusiastic about this new concept because this allows us more time in class to do hands on learning while the discussions and projects are worked on together out of class. There is no longer a need for extended amounts of time to allow groups to work on projects in class because technology allows the students to collaborate in the comfort of their own homes.

             

           As I mentioned earlier, collaboration also allows students to expand and develop ideas into something they never thought possible. The saying “two brains is better than one” couldn’t be truer. Bouncing ideas off another person forces you to think critically about why you are saying what you are saying because you may have to defend your position. Students will test other student’s ideas if they don’t feel those ideas have a solid basis. So, when collaborating students are forced to defend their ideas and thus expand on them.

      There are many more uses for collaboration via technology than I cannot go into now but here is a small list of the ways collaborative tools can enhance our future classrooms:

1.     

     1.  Expand and enhance ideas (critical thinking)

2.     

     2.  More time in class because discussions can take place outside of class

3.     

    3. More time in class because projects can be worked on together out of class over the internet

4.     

     4. Ability to work with students all over the world

5.     

     5. More in depth projects because of the capability of working together anytime anywhere

Blog 1

Why Technology should be included in the classroom—Seth Taylor

People, especially (most) older teachers, don’t like the idea of changing up the educational system. The idea that is changing is technology. Technology is becoming more advanced and the traditional ways of teaching are either becoming outdated or easier to do. Traditional ways are becoming more technological.

While traditional teaching still works, it doesn’t have all the abilities that technology can have on a classroom, nor can it compete with all the opportunities that technology has to offer. Technology has the ability to differentiate further than traditional teaching does. A piece of technology that does this well is the iPad. The iPad has programs on it that can help an array of problems. An example of this is a story from my dad. My dad was a middle school principal a while ago, and he told me some stories of what the iPad did for children who were vision impaired. The font of an iPad can be changed so that the font is big enough for those with hearing impaired to see it. This could not happen with just a book; books are one font only. If the student cannot see the text, then a way of learning is lost. Technology makes up for the item that could have been lost, and makes it so it isn’t.

Technology also can provide education to those who, as Professor Kipp said, “school doesn’t work for.” If, for some reason, school isn’t fit for a student and it isn’t a suitable environment for learning to take place. These students can still learn without having to be in the school itself. These students can still get all the education that they are required to get at their own speed. These students cannot only collaborate ideas together, but they also can collaborate with ideas all across the world. This can enhance the learning, by way of comparison, due to the process being all across the globe.

Those are but two examples that technology can help with the educational process. There are more ways than these that technology can help and make tasks easier for a teacher to teach. When technology is used correctly, it can make the process of teaching more enjoyable and less of a chore. When technology is used correctly, the student has the ability to learn more. 

Technology In the classroom

Entry written by:Chris Morgan Topic: Technology In the Classroom

         In the world today technology has been making its way into the classroom slowly but surely. If you were to walk into just about any school there is some sort of technology being used. This includes the use of smart boards, ipads, and even computers. The debate that is present in most school districts is if this is something to be embraced or if it should be halted and the old tools of the trade should be brought back. Many different opinions have been voiced about the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom and that is what I will be going over.
         Their are many advantages to having technology involved in the classroom in society today. Not only would this have a great impact on the environment by limiting the amount of paper that is being used in the classroom, but the students would learn better. The students would learn better because instead of just reading the materials, technology will allow them to get a hands on experience with the material. This would be helpful in just about every subject. In history it could be used to trace the routes of explorers or to discuss geography. In math their are websites that explain how the students got the problem wrong instead of just a red mark over their work. In the science classrooms many of the experiments have been cut due to the price of the materials and the quantity of the students. But with technology these experiments could still be done over the computer. This is how technology could enhance the classroom.
         On the other side of the debate are the people that feal technology could limit the learning in the classroom. There reasoning in these theories are held up by the feeling that it takes away from the fundamentals of learning. Their belief that by using the new technology the students wont have the essentials that we learned as children. Also the other fact that is usually put up for the debate is the students not being on task in the classroom. But there are many computer applications that limit what activities the students can be doing at a certain time. These are the cons of having technology in the classroom.
        I am all for having technology in the classroom. By having this in the classroom it benefits the students more then it hurts their learning. By giving them the hands on experience that would not be available otherwise, their learning will be tremendously increased. The technology that is being used in the classroom allows the students to be more included in the class instead of being lectured. Also it would save the schools a lot of money in the end because of the economic resources that are used day end and day out.

Technology in the classroom

Entry written by: Shellby Jones Topic:Technological Advances
         Technology is a tool that is being incorporated more and more into the classroom. To be honest, it scares me a little. When I was little I always thought I would teach the way I was taught; I had never thought that so many new developments would come out. I considered transparencies and overhead projectors the best invention ever; I must admit I somewhat still really like them. That being said, I like technology and the doors it opens, but with the kids knowing so much, there is a little added pressure. I need to always be on my toes about the latest and greatest teachnological advances.
         So far, most of the tools we have discussed in class are not new to me, but some of them are overwhelming for me. The one that still rattles my brain is the classroom that is completely online. I have taken online courses and participated in assignments from this class online, but I would have no idea where to begin when it comes to creating a class online. I am an elementary education majos so the opportunity to use some of the tools we have been talking about may not be possible. However, my favorite idea that we have talked about so far has been dipity.com. It was a tool that was presented in class and I really liked what it offered. When I was young, I always had to do timelines for anything from bookreports to history projects. Being the perfectionist that I am, it always bothered me that my timeline was not perfectly neat. By having a website like dipity, I can create a place for my student to complete their projects. Not only is is neater, it is also easier for me to grade them anywhere I go. Students could either create an individual project, work on a group project, or we can create one as an entire class. This may be difficult to do if I am in a lower income school district, but ideally it could be used in the home as well as the schools computer lab. I really enjoy this website because it opens up so many new posibilities.
     The other program I love is everything in Miscorsoft Office. There is Microsoft Word for word documents, Excel for tables and spreadsheets,and Powerpoint for presentations.While I really like prezi.com, it is somehwat difficult to navigate and frankly it makes me a bit dizzy. Powerpoint is just so much more simple and basic for the elementary level. I know that having students had write their assignments is a skill they need to know, but mixing in typed papers can prepare my students for the future. In my future classroom, I would like to have my students do a couple of projects on the computer for each subject. I could have them turn in a book report typed out or have a final draft of an essay completed on Word. I think that technology is moving more and more into the classrooms and I am excited to see how many different doors it opens. While I am a little hesistant to incorporate technology into every part of my classroom, I definitely look forward to using it in ways that will help my students reach their full potential.

Technology in the Classroom

Technology in the Classroom:
       This whole semester we have talked about how to incorporate technology in the classroom. In all aspects I think it is a good idea to have technology in the classroom. With technology advancing it is good to have technology in the classroom. I visited a classroom not to long ago with programs that helped them make timelines for the history class. They used little laptops and it is good to have that because like we have talked about in class so many times we need to be preparing them for what is not even out there in the job field. If you think about it 2 year old's already know how to use I-pads and so on and if they already know that then we really need to be incorporating it into the classroom. It is a crucial fact for it to be in the classroom, and as teachers we may struggle with this but with times changing and kids being so well-known with technology it is crucial to have this in our classroom.
      On the other hand though I do not believe in online sessions. I know with technology changing we need to be more adapt to this kind of stuff. As a teacher though, and now being a part of it I do not agree with it. As teachers we are supposed to teach. Online aspects are, I feel, busy work in a since. Its almost like teachers don't really have a say in what the student does minus here is a list that you need to complete by a certain date. I know Mrs. Kipp has been a teacher for online sessions and says she knows her students better then face to face students. As teachers though we should strive for that in the classroom and if we aren't doing that then what are we doing? Online sessions scare me as well, because if every student goes and takes online courses what is the need for teachers? Face to face sessions I get so much more out of because I learn in that environment, and I understand not everyone is like me but that's why we have alternative schools. We to dig into kids life's and not just hand them busy work that they have to figure out by themselves from someone they don't know at all.

Entry written by: Julia Coad
Topic: Technology-How do we keep up in the classroom?

Despite the fact that I would describe myself as a “digital native,” and the daily use of technology is very prominent in my generation, I can honestly say that I often get lost in confusion when dealing with a majority of technology today.  I’m sure many others who are even mildly “tech-savvy” find themselves in the exact same boat. So, how does this happen to so many of us? Well, technology has expanded in so many different directions that the branches of a tree could hardly represent every trend it’s taken. The current pace of technological changes is constant and rapid. It’s thrusting doors of opportunity open, but at the same time it’s formulating many challenges. Now, the trouble of schools and their educators is developing the classroom on the opportunities technology offers while struggling to stay in the continuous flow of new trends.

There exists a “digital divide” in schools because of the rapid evolution of these educational technologies. An online article by Education Week states, “schools are forever playing technological catch up as digital innovations emerge that require upgrading schools’ technological infrastructure and building new professional development programs”(Education Week, Sept. 1, 2011). It’s always going to be a learning process for teachers and students alike. Therefore, both should stay open to all the possibilities.

Thus, I believe that technology should be a tool used wisely and sparingly in the classroom. Obviously, in the past education has been successful with simply a piece of chalk and a board, and even though innovations such as the computer have become more prominent in today’s classrooms, education can still achieve its objectives without the “newest” technology. However, I think that it is important for teachers to alter their sometimes hostile attitudes towards educational technology.  It is key for educators to view it primarily as a classroom enhancement tool. There are so many aspects of social networking, blogging, cloud-based applications, and online tools that increase the educational opportunities and breach the boundaries of the classroom. The trick is to utilize them well, and remain open to what they have to offer. This technological race is not going to slow down any time soon, so educators need to be some of the first ones to embrace the qualities it can add to a classroom.

Importance of Technology in the Classroom

Most people of our generation are very familiar with technology. We have been using the computer since we were little and have been using programs such as Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint since we were in elementary school. As a future teacher, however, I still struggle with including it in classroom instruction. I would much prefer to stick to teaching how I was taught and abandon any kind of extra technology. Although part of me would love to teach technology-free, doing so would hold students back. Because of my unwillingness to learn about new technology, I would be preventing my students from developing the skills they need to succeed.

Students use technology for every other part of their lives, so why wouldn't they use it as a part of their education? Because of their increasing exposure to technology, students usually catch on to new technology quickly. As teachers, we should be one step ahead of them so that we will be able to teach them about the usefulness of technology and not hold our students back because of our unwillingness to learn new things. 

A huge part of being a teacher is preparing students for their futures. Technology is a huge part of that because it is becoming a vital part of our lives. Teaching students to use tools such as Google Docs and Excel, among other tools, will help them be able to prepare for their future jobs and careers. With our culture becoming so advanced in technology, it is important that educators keep up with its growth. The best thing we can do for our future students is get out of our comfort zone now and learn about technology that will not only make our lives easier, but also will help our students be successful.

Technology as a cost-effective tool within the classroom

No school is free from economic burdens. Continually, standards increase and funding is cut. Schools must decipher the best options to provide better education with smaller financial resources. In this present generation, schools often spend a large portion of their budget on computer software that promotes education. Between the cloud and Internet resources, schools could significantly cut in some expenses.

Though offered at discounted prices for schools, software similar to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are available via the cloud. In addition to the schools saving, families will as well. Websites such as Google docs allows for free creations of word documents, spreadsheets, drawing documents, charts, presentations, and more. Not only are these free, they allow for easy sharing of work among classmates, students, and teachers though the cloud and unified processors.

The Internet also opens other cost-effective tools. Youtube, blogger, and academic databases increase content mediums and communication. Internet news articles are free unlike their paper subscriptions. PDFs provide books and articles for free that can be downloaded to a computer so Internet is not necessary. Online games that increase competency in various skills also be found on the Internet. For example, Free Typing Games provides games that increase touch-typing literacy. These websites and tools provide free instruments for the classroom that also add diversity to the curriculum.

As we are all aware, education is not cheap. Necessary materials continue to become more expensive as the cost of raw materials increases. Unfortunately, traditional education continues to be at the forefront despite the newer programs within cloud technology. As these new programs explore new realms for the classroom, they also provide a more cost-efficient option for schools.

Blog #1

Topic: The Downfalls of using Technology in the Classroom

When I think about technology in school growing up, I think of overheads, stereos and cassette players, a limited amount of computers in the lab that we occassionally went to. Most of class was on a chalkboard and you had to actually pay attention to the teacher in class because you couldn't be sent the documents used for the lectures without handwritten copies that were copied. In order to learn things, we actually had projects to do, had to be creative, had to be actively involved with what was going on in the classroome. All of that changed as technology advanced.

I think that it is a good thing to use technology in the classroom, however, I think that at the same time, there are some negative effects depending too much on technology. Although businesses depend a lot on technological use and kids now get more fun out of technology, I think that basic skills are compromised. Most people now use technology to check their grammar and spelling, so much so that if they were to write it, they wouldn't know it. In classrooms growing up, one of my favorite activities was writing. I learned more making mistakes and seeing the corrections that were made than I do from having a computer automatically correct everything almost instantly.

Being admist this shift in culture, it is more apparent that one of the challenges we will face will be what is essential in social relationships.I think with technology, social life is reduced. Though it is a good thing that people are more comfortable to speak their minds and share their opinions, it is much easier to have a thriving relationship online and then be a complete stranger in real life. Why is that? This is something that we will have to address in public schools because what is said online makes more of a difference than it just being said in person. Someone may not say a thing that is on their mind in person, but online they let it all out and it is in writing. I think that it is an excellent tool for communication and seeing thought processes, but it makes communicating in person a bigger problem.

Participation and stage fright are already intimidations and challenges in a classroom, but reducing the comfortability to ask questions in a group or face to face makes this an even bigger challenge. I must admit though, technology makes it possible to address any questions and to pass the information on to everyone at almost anytime. The introduction says that "Anyone used to interacting with objects and others to get information on a daily basis cannot learn by sitting still and listening to someone at the front of the room spout facts." (p. 9) Even here at chapel it is difficult to listen to a speaker and if it is difficult now, it is much more difficult to the younger generations. It is great to use technology in the classroom, but there are still downfalls to using technology that need to be addressed in order for it to be used effectively.